Please tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to pursue research in the EMD Department at the Yale School of Public Health?
Charlotte: I’m a rising 4th year med student, and honestly, I was probably drawn towards infectious diseases because of my sheer childhood obsession with animals. Taking care of my parrot when she was ill (we’ve kept Pee Wee alive for 21 years now) naturally had me fascinated by germs, and how they connect between animal vectors and people! While volunteering at a community health fair in my first year at Yale, I met some MPH students who spoke highly of Dr. Albert Ko, and so I’m fortunate that he welcomed me in his lab to learn epidemiology research for my gap year.
What is the current focus of your research?
Together with the University of Florida, our group is helping to understand antibody responses to tick bites in humans. More precisely, we’re interested in seeing how levels of antibodies formed against Ixodes tick proteins might vary before and after the summer, or between populations in different parts of the country.
By correlating antibody production with demographic and behavioral risk factors, we would be able to better quantify someone’s chances of developing a tick-borne disease.
Charlotte Kim
What are some of the most significant findings or innovations from your tick-borne disease research?
Currently there isn’t a proper lab test that tells you about someone’s exposure to ticks; often you just ask the patient whether they’ve gone hiking or noticed any bug bites. By correlating antibody production with demographic and behavioral risk factors, we would be able to better quantify someone’s chances of developing a tick-borne disease.
Which emerging trends or technologies in tick-borne disease research do you find most exciting?
More surveillance studies! So I myself once had Lyme disease after visiting Rhode Island for a high school summer camp. I got sick after coming home to California, where my pediatrician insisted my “bulls-eye” redness was actually a friction rash. While Lyme is still uncommon on the West Coast, it’s so important to raise awareness on how tick vectors are on the rise.
Where do you see the field of tick-borne disease research heading in the next few years, and what role do you hope your work will play in this future landscape?
I would expect, or hope for, a revival of the Lyme vaccine, echoing the sentiments of a lot of our study participants here in Connecticut. Our study could hopefully determine who would benefit most from the vaccine, maybe including for populations who live far from the town of Lyme.
How has the EMD Department supported your research and academic goals?
My mentors, Dr. Albert Ko and Dr. Margaret Lind, have been immersed in all aspects of my professional growth, whether in learning to code or encouraging me to think about how to drive changes in public health policy. They recently encouraged me to apply for the Connecticut Infectious Diseases Society conference, where I got to understand the work of other doctors in the region.
What advice would you give to prospective students considering applying to the EMD training programs at Yale?
All of the grad students I’ve met appeared really happy with the program here. If you’re from a sunny state, bring a proper winter coat, waterproof boots, and maybe even a pet.